Monday, January 31, 2011

I am already terrified enough to have a winter baby. I hate snow, cold, sickness, bad roads, and everything else that comes along with winter. I just know that the second that ice starts falling from the sky I will go into labor. I will then have a list of worries in my head (as if I am not a worry wart already) that may or may not include...omg what if we die on the way to the hospital, omg my lil man is going to be in a car with someone other than me during this, omg what if something happens to my lil man, my family and nicks family have to drive in this, omg what if they wreck and die?? Yea, basically all about death and ice....not a pretty picture, and probably enough to send this worry wart mama into labor.

I still have a sick boy at home with me, and I am worried enough about him. I do not need the additional worries of slick roads, and the death that will for sure occur to my loved ones (at least in my mind). He has another appointment in the morning to get treatment for his newly diagnosed pneumonia. Poor man.

Our totally amazing, super dooper, gonna be famous one day mamas group starts tomorrow night. We named it Milk and Cookies, and there will be plenty more posts to follow about this I am sure. However, if the ice storm comes we will have to cancel our VERY FIRST MEETING!! :(. This is definitely getting in the way of this mama's plans. You know the plans you make when you are big ole pregnant to make the weeks pass by faster? Yep..I may cry.

My hubby has to work this week in order to finish up some jobs before Mckinlee arrives. He will have to drive in the ice. Did I mention that this terrifies me?

I have a ob appointment on Wed., and I really really need to know where I stand in this pregnancy. Have I dilated more, predictions, etc etc?? If the ice storm comes the office could close, or I could not be able to get there, and then I will just be sitting here worrying with my concerns.

My camera went ca-put this weekend. It keeps saying lens error. Not good since I could have a new baby any day, and god only knows I need a functioning camera. I was either going to go camera shopping in stores or online, and this needs to happen in the next few days. (I will replenish my bank account with b-day money since we were not planning for this at all!).

I will end this post with the most depressing pictures of my little man over the last few days. He is just miserable. Pray for him please.

I will begin this post by informing you all that sadly bundle has not made her appearance as of yet. Mama has been having lots of cramping and pressure, and weird charlie horses in my hip area for a few nights, but no real deal. However, by the pressure I have been feeling I am convinced that I have at least increased by another 1/2 centimeter. We shall see on Wednesday.

Anyway, back to the point of this post. This weekend 3 of my mama friends threw me a small friends shower. I was so excited that they thought of me and bundle since it is my second baby, and also so excited that some of my college friends were able to attend as well. It was fun catching up with them this weekend, and seeing all the great gifts lil miss got. Lets just say that she is going to be well dressed, bowed, and prissy!! So excited.

Here are some pics from the shower.

The lovely hostesses ﻿

The ribbon game. Two people had ribbons the EXACT same size, and they were both almost dead on my belly size!! Crazy!

One of the two diaper cakes that we received. This one was made by this mama. She is trying to start up a business, so if you are interested send her a message! It was amazing. Filled with swaddle blankets, bibs, binkys, bottles, socks, stuffed animals, diapers etc. So talented. It was even monogrammed for lil miss!

Sweet Jaxson was the only baby in attendance, and he had so much fun helping me unwrap all the pretty clothes!

Just an embarrasing picture. Can you say awkward face?

Thanks to all my loved ones who made this weekend possible. Mckinlee and I are truly grateful!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Bundle and I are now 36 whole weeks into this pregnancy. Today I had my first cervix exam, and the doctor verified what I had been feeling for weeks. I am in fact contracting and dilating. I am 3 centimeters, and in the doctors words "very very very thin". I can't believe I forgot to ask him what percentage. Anyway, I also had a lot of bloody show during the exam, and the doctor said he would be surprised if I made it to 38 weeks. (Can I get a HOLY COW!!!).

We are at that point bloggy friends. I am literally a ticking, contracting, dilating time bomb just waiting to go into labor. WOW! I have mixed emotions when it comes to this. I am ready to not be pregnant, but not ready at the same time.

Here is our list of things we still need to do:

Finish final touches on nursery

Pack our hospital bags

Pack Caleb's bag

Order a tutu

Get a big brother shirt

Finish washing and putting away all of Mckinlee's newborn clothes

Attend my baby shower this weekend

Get all of our newborn supplies out of storage.

Install car seat

Ahh I can feel my heart racing just thinking about all of it. We have got to get on it. In other news lil man is once again sick. Runny nose, cough, and as of an hour ago another fever. One of his little friends has RSV, and I am so scared that he caught it. Looks like we may be going to see the lovely doctor tomorrow. I am so afraid he will be sick when Mckinlee arrives. I would hate for him not to be able to be around her when she first arrives. Pray for a speedy recovery for him.

I have not gained any weight since last week, my belly has however gotten bigger, and I am more and more miserable every day. Now it is just a guess as to when lil miss will arrive. My due date is the 21st of Feb. We have about 6 different birthdays she could hit on, including my own. Jan 27, 31 Feb 1, 10, 11, 17, 19 are all options. I just really really really do not want her to arrive in Valentines Day. I feel as though that would be a bad b-day. When do you think she will arrive?

Monday, January 24, 2011

I have to admit bloggy friends that I have come face to face with a no-good-very-bad-mommy-moment. A moment that I was hoping never came, but in turn if I look back was inevitable. Lets begin this post with a conversation about my sweet little 17-month-old son. You know the little man who DOES NOT talk, and who basically says "uhhh" for everything.....well, apparently he can say a few things.

He can say woof, tickle, kitty, kick, mine, juice, dada, mama etc etc, however, mine is usually the only thing he says nowadays. Anyway...he can also say another not so pleasant word that breaks my heart.....here is the story....

A few weeks ago we were having a game night with friends, and Caleb was playing with his own deck of cards. He was throwing them off the table and kept saying "ooooo shhh". I immediately looked at hubby and said he "Is he saying Oh S***?". Hubby assured me that he wasn't, and we let it pass.

Last week my sister in law was playing with Caleb, he dropped a ball and he said "Oooo shh". She immediately asked me if he said "Oh S***". I Told her that I had thought the same thing at one time and that it was a strong possibility.

Let me pause here to give some background. Caleb goes EVERYWHERE with us, and he always has. He goes to game nights where cussing occurs, he plays wii with daddy and I and an occasional word or few (or 20), will pop out. Although, we know we need to censor it has not quite happened yet. So needless to say, as much as I hate to admit it, my child has been around a lot of cussing in his day. Well, he has caught on for sure...

Saturday night my mother in law watched Caleb so Nick and I could go on a date. He was playing air hockey with uncle Tony (his favorite game ever), and uncle Tony scored on him. Apparently my sweet little innocent baby slammed down the hockey puck, and said "SHIT!", clear as day. Not only did he say the word, but he used it in context. I almost died when hubby told me this story. I shrank down to a small little being, and beat myself up a million times over and over again. I have vowed that the cussing has now stopped around my baby, and hopefully this will work.

So in ending my baby who can not say dog, or eat, or night night, or bath can however, CUSS!!! I say this with a veil pulled over my face, and I hope that no one judges me for this. Trust me, we are hoping the S*** will never hit the fan again.

Just so we end this post on a good note, here is a picture of little man the other day. I found him "cooking" his peperoni from his pizza. He was stirring and blowing on it, and it made my heart melt!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Good Morning All. I have to admit that I am sitting drained at my computer right now at 7:11 this morning, and may I just mention that this is the second night/morning in a row that I have not been able to sleep. Lil man fussed a little at 5 am this morning, and after that there was no falling back asleep for this 8 month prego mama. Ughh. This has to be my least favorite pregnancy symptom. On a happy note though, my very last day of work was cancelled due to impending snow!! Can I get a hallelujah amen!! I am so happy about this. I am also actually happy about the chance of being snowed in for a few days. It will force me to clean the pile of dirty dishes, wash the 20,000 loads of laundry I have waiting for me, and most importantly finish bundles nursery!! I have to admit I am only excited about the last of those tasks. I am contemplating making a target run early this morning before the snow hits to get the final pieces I need for the nursery, so when I complete it, it will truly be complete.

Yesterday was an amazing family day with Caleb. Since snow was in the forcast for this weekend hubby and I decided to take Caleb to the Childrens Museum yesterday instead. Hubby had a few days off work this week as did I, and yesterday was the PERFECT day for this activity. The museum was amazing, and not crowded at all, and I just loved watching both my boys play their little hearts out. My husband is such a big kid and I love that. He played with Caleb in each and every activity, and never became bored. This was such a good thing since I am big and pregnant and can't breathe, and honestly did not have much energy. I spent most of my time sitting beside them and watching them play. However, it was so fun, and I think a family pass to this museum is a MUST HAVE for us. I will make that happen because seeing the joy on my childs face was priceless (not to mention entertainment for 4 plus hours, and a happy man till nap).

The Children's Museum was made up of various different sections. I just loved it because each section grew with your child. Everything was layed out so perfectly, and you could tell that a lot of time and thought had been placed into each and every activity.

Favorites of Caleb's included

The Ball Room: This room was surrounded by nets, filled with balls, and also filled with various machines that would shoot balls around the room. Caleb loved rolling in and kicking the balls around the room, and hubby was in heaven trying to figure out how every machine worked. I swear they both could have spent all day in there.

Any and Every Chair: Have I mentioned how much my child enjoys sitting in chairs? He loves it!! He has three chairs of his very own in our living room, and he goes back and forth between them all day. Every seat/chair/car that we saw in the childrens museum was a must sit. Infact, he made chairs out of exhibits that were not even ment to be chairs. So cute. Here are just a few

The Love Of Mothers Room (aka the room with loads of toys/activities/benches for mamas/ and a GATE with a security guard so the kids will stay put in one room)!! This room was so fun. It was filled with a play gym, a sand box, balls, trucks etc etc etc. Daddy and Caleb had a ball playing with the sand and a rolling ball exhibit.

﻿

Petting a Snake/Crawling through Tunnels: Yes, my child got to pet his very first snake. I have to admit I held my breath on this one, but he was so brave. He loves animals.

The all time favorite of the day WATER PLAY!!! Now let me just begin by saying that many mamas do not venture to this activity for many reasons. Sure your baby is going to get soaked, they may drink some dirty water, and you may get wet as well. However, the joy that I saw on my babes face while playing in the various streams made all those little things seem so silly. Sure he was soaked afterward, sure hubby and I had water on us, sure he had to change into mismatch pj's for the rest of the day, but boy did he have fun. It is so great not to be neurotic about little things like this and just let you little one explore, and be a kid.

Incase you are wondering this is the outfit that Caleb wore around the museum the rest of the day. I personally think he rocked it, even though it did not match.

Here is a pic of my big baby building his block house. His mama would be so proud :)

We finished the day up with a trip to the grocery, where my baby got to ride in one of these for the very first time.

He was oh so cute with his little vroom, woof, and beep beep noises he was making. However, we have discovered that he is an escape artist, and can find his way out of this car no matter how tight you strap him in. At least he thought he was funny jumping out and running down the ailses laughing. Oh toddlerhood, how I really do love you!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

We are seriously almost there! I can not even believe that bundle will make her appearance sometime in the next 5 weeks. Can I get an OMG?? I mean seriously, this pregnancy has flown by. However, I am getting to the point right now where time is starting to tick tick tick tick. Anyone who has been pregnant knows what I mean. I am seriously to the point where I feel as though I am a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. It is so weird to think that "I could go into labor today", every single day of your life.

I think I am going to actually chronicle the last few weeks of this pregnancy (stop the world!). I feel so bad that I have waited until this point, but these last few weeks are where all the interesting details occur anyway.

Emotionally: Emotionally this week I am about the same. I am ready/not ready at the exact same time. I can't wait to not be pregnant, to see my baby girl, to love on her, to watch Caleb with her, and to begin our new life. However, I am still trying to take in each and every day with Caleb before she arrives, and I do not want our time as a family of three to fly by so quickly. I am emotional because Caleb is so clingy to me right now, and I am scared that he will see the baby as taking his place once she arrives. I still have the general gitters that I think any mama would have realizing that in a few short weeks she will have TWO UNDER TWO!! Very few plan it this way, and I pray to God every day that I can handle it. I worry that we will literally be locked in my house and that I will go stir crazy because it will be such a task at first to take two children out. I still want to be able to have a life like we have had with Caleb, and I hope that I can get them into a routine where it will work for me. I am also worried about sleep deprivation. Caleb has always been a great sleeper, and I am really going to have to adjust myself back to the newborn wakeful stage, and then still get up at the butt crack of dawn with him. Only God will be able to get me through the first few weeks of this I am sure.

Physically: I had an appointment last week with the doctor where I discussed some issues I have been having. Basically I have been having severe braxton hicks that last for about an hour at a time, and severe cramping at least one hour out of every day. I am also feeling a lot of dilating pressure and pain. He basically said that it could be one of two things...I could be feeling contractions sooner because it is my second pregnancy or it could be signs that I will have an early delivery this time around. They are giving me my first check next Wed, and I swear I would not be surprised if I am like 2-3 centimeters. I had severe cramping last night at a friends house and I swear I thought I was going to go into labor. I am to the point where the simple tasks are not so simple. Getting up from the floor is so hard, rolling over takes about three different tries, and chasing after Caleb is enough to wear me out every day. A bath is a must at night, and I always beg hubby to rub on my back just a little to take away all the aches and pains before bed. Colostrum is now leaking like a fossit, and none of my bras are comfortable anymore. Infact, most of my clothes are not comfortable any more. I have gained 20 lbs so far, and I basically sit around the house with my belly hanging out at all times during the day. I have an increased appetite, and knock on wood, the heartburn is not nearly as bad as it was with Caleb. Did I mention that physically I am DONE!

Things Going On This Week:

Nursery is a work in progress. The walls are painted, bedding is ordered, projects are being completed, and closet is organized.

I need to wash all the newborn clothing and get it ready for when she arrives. I also need to get a few more newborn and 0-3 month clothes because she literally has like 5 outfits to leave the house in.

Almost done working. I gave them my 2 weeks due to the physical strain on the pregnancy, and the emotional toll it was taking on my life right now. I can not wait until work is over.

Going to take C to the childrens museum this weekend for some mama dada time. So excited!

﻿Here is a pic of me at 35 weeks. Sorry it is so small it is taken with my phone.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Once again my little man looked like Ralphy from A Christmas Story, when we ventured out to play in the snow today. Caleb is no longer running a fever, and seems to be feeling a bit better (thank God), and since hubby and I were both home for a snow day today we decided to venture out. Now when I say venture I mean total of like 30 minutes. Caleb was not as into it as we thought he would be. He basically could not figure out how to walk in his clothing, or grab at snow with his gloves on, or how to function in general. He basically just sat in the snow and laughed as Nick and I threw snow at each other and the dogs. We tried to build a snowman but the snow was to light. Caleb did enjoy taking a ride in his swing that he had not used since summer though.

When we were getting dressed to go outside I pulled out all my ski gear. Well, needless to say my size small ski pants do not fit over my 34 week belly. They would not even zip. Good thing it was just us out back.

After the task of taking off all the snow clothing we came in and I made him Hot Strawberry Milk. One of my personal favorites, because I hate chocolate. My child however, was not a fan and I am sure he would have loved hot chocolate 10 times more. The rest of the day was spent playing inside, napping, and sanitizing every toy in Caleb's room to rid us from the pink eye germs.

I love snow days with my little family even if my child is still a little overwhelmed with the whole idea

Monday, January 10, 2011

Seriously I feel as though sickness has overtaken our home. For the past 2 months I swear that every time I turn around Caleb is sick again with something. Either he is teething/cranky and has a runny nose and cough to go along with it, or he has a broken leg, or pink eye, or an unknown fever etc. It is breaking my heart. I swear he was maybe sick 3 times his entire first year of life, and this toddler stage sickness is crazy. So crazy to me because he does not even attend daycare so I do not know where he catches everything.

Last night Caleb was not feeling so great before bath. He coughed so hard that he literally puked all over me, and was so upset afterward. He woke up at midnight with a fever and was so upset. We got him calmed down and he sat with Nick and I on the couch for a long time. Then hubby realized that his little heart was RACING, and he was breathing as quick as a newborn, and there was a red rash on his cheeks. I immediately ran to the computer and looked up "normal toddler heart rates", and then we pulled out my trusty stethoscope that I used for the year I was in nursing school back in the day. Anyway we realized that Caleb's was about 20 bpm above normal and we both started getting worried. We decided to call the pediatrician at 1 am. Yes, I am the mother that calls and wakes up my beloved pedi in the middle of the night with symptoms that I am sure will lead to the death of my child. The doctor explained that the red face and racing heart were common with fevers, and that if he became unresponsive or to lethargic that we should take him to the ER. If not he recommended coming in today if the problems continued.

Caleb ended up sleeping in our bed all night last night, and hubby and I both randomly checked on his breathing and heart rate all throughout the night. This morning however, he has no rash, no racing heart, is breathing normal, but still feels like poo. He slept in until 11, and he is napping again. He is very clingy and yucky feeling. I feel so bad because I can not keep him healthy. I hate teething and all its symptoms and the pink eye and viral infections and every other sickness in the world.

I mean does sickness not realize that we only have up to 42 days left with only little man, and that we want this last month to be fun? Did I mention that I hate sickness.

Here are a few pictures of my cute little man (sick or not he is just to precious)

Sunday, January 9, 2011

So, this weekend has been a pretty uneventful one. Mostly due to the fact that little man came down with pink eye. Ughh. Pink eye is so awful. I used to always catch it when I was younger, and I was so sad when I realized that was what he had. He awoke from his late nap on Friday with gooped together eyes, and was pretty darn miserable. We headed to the pediatrician first thing Saturday morning, where the pink eye was confirmed. He also had a bit of a viral infection in his lungs so they gave him a steroid shot to clear that up. On top of all of that 2 molars are coming in. Poor little guy.

So, basically we have quarantined ourselves all weekend, and I have been washing bedding and hands like crazy. Tomorrow (after the contagious time wears off) I am going to sanitize all toys. Hubby and I have just been praying that we do not get it. That would suck so bad to be 8 months prego with pink eye. So pray that we some how do not get it. It will literally be a miracle if I escape it, because my little mans face is basically right in mine all day everyday. Have I mentioned he has become a Mama's boy lately? Even though it wears me out I love it.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

I know I know I am so behind, and I promise I am making every effort to catch up. I mean I know you all are just biting your nails waiting to hear about our Christmas. I know you just can't sleep at night waiting for this post. Right? Uhh huh yea, I would like to believe that my blog is that appealing, but in all reality I am writing this post more for my own memories. However, if you do decide to read I hope you enjoy hearing about our second Christmas with our little man.

Christmas this year was a little different. Due to the pregnancy I was unable to travel to my hometown at all. Generally if we do not go down for Christmas, then we go down shortly after. However, this year my family had to come to me. The weekend before Christmas I planned to have family in, and I was planning on cooking a roast for dinner. I awoke however, early on Saturday morning to find that all the power on our street was out, and that our house was FREEZING. I immidiately scooped Caleb up and we walked aimlessly around stores for hours (did I mention it was the Saturday before Christmas?). Yea, that was not a fun experience. Anyway, my dad and sister soon arrived in town, my power came back on, and we all cooked dinner together. Basically my dad cooked for us instead of me cooking for them, but he has more years of experience, and I will take a break when I can get it. Caleb of course was the center of attention, and he was spoiled rotten with gifts.

Christmas Eve this year was spent with Nick's mamas family. She is one of 12 siblings so their get togethers are huge!! Caleb was just awful on Christmas Eve. Combination of being tired and teething=fussy baby. The only thing that made him happy was playing on top of the air hockey table, and god forbid we move him from it. The air hockey table now sits on the ground because of this. Unfortunately, he would not allow anyone to hold him or even look at him. Not the best of nights. We did get a few cute pics before hand though.

This pic is a little blurry but Caleb is showing us his baby sister ﻿

He kind of resembles Chris Farley in this pic :)

We can't get a good pic without the binky

This year we did our very first Christmas morning at our own home. Nick and I stayed up late making sure Santa prepared all of Caleb's gifts correctly, and then little man woke us up around 8 am. I brought him into bed to snuggle and drink his milk, and we read the Christmas story from the Bible before we went to open presents. Caleb was not quite as excited about all of his new gifts as I thought he would be. He was still kind of clingy and yucky feeling. However, all of that changed when dada opened one of his new gifts. I had bought Nick a new wallet, and he started moving cards from his old wallet to the new one. OMG Caleb was in heaven playing with Nick's old cards and wallet, and all the other toys did not matter at all. He carried those cards and wallet around all morning. So funny.

Taking in his new ball pit.

Oh the credit cards!

He did take a break to give the dogs Christmas kisses.

After our Christmas morning at home we packed up and headed to Nick's parents house for breakfast and more gifts. Caleb was once again beyond spoiled, and I think that his aunts and uncles were grateful for that. I swear everyone played with his toys for over an hour. The rest of Christmas day and night was spent there, and it was very relaxing and family oriented. Great second Christmas with our little man.

The day after Christmas we got to spend some time with this new mama and family. Baby Declan was just too cute, and I was so glad I got to finally meet him. ﻿

Mama G

I am a stay at home mother of 3 precious children. I am thankful to God each and every day for the blessings in my life. It is my goal to be a loving mother who is always there for my children, and who is praising Jesus along the way.

DaDa G

A hard working, loving father and husband. He is an amazing comforter, supporter, best friend, and diaper changer. Our children are madly in love with him as am I.

Caleb

Our first bundle of joy, and he has blessed my life in more ways than I could ever number. He is a great big brother, and a future Prince Charming.

Mckinlee

Our spitfire. This teeny tiny may be little, but she has the ability to keep this mama on my toes. I love her spunk, stubbornness, and beauty.

Paxton

The newest addition to our family. He is so sweet, so content, and absolutely adorable. He brings smiles to our faces daily, and we could not love him more if we tried.

Bella

Our first baby. She is a cuddly spoiled baby who sometimes has a problem with barking, climbing, and kissing you on the mouth.